by Ann Purser
Miriam laughed delightedly. “Oh, very good, Miss Beasley! Babes in the wood, both of us could be, if I wasn’t so sure of the way. But here we are, you see, and there’s Mr. Goodman waving. Look at his dear old face! He must love you dearly, Miss Beasley. How romantic!”
“Yes, well, that’s as may be,” said Ivy. “So thank you, Miss Blake.”
“Do call me Miriam,” her rescuer enthused.
Ivy nodded. She had no intention of reciprocating the suggestion. Then Roy scuppered her and said that he would be delighted if Miriam would call him by his Christian name, and he was sure Ivy would feel the same. After all, they were going to be working together, weren’t they?
“And now the sun’s coming out again,” said Miriam, squinting up at the sky. “So it’s a happy ending all round. Do come in with me and dry off, and we’ll have a cup of tea, won’t you?”
Before Ivy could reply in the negative, Roy said quickly that he couldn’t think of anything nicer and left his beloved to follow in what he could only regard as a sulk.
“I SUPPOSE YOU have to hand it to her,” said Ivy, when they were once more on their way back to Springfields. “She does make the best Victoria sponge I’ve tasted for a long while.”
Roy negotiated his vehicle round the considerable hazard of a young woman with twins in a wide pushchair. “She’s a really nice person, I’m sure. I’m amazed she hasn’t attracted many followers by now.”
“She’s had her moments,” Ivy reminded him. “Anyway, we will do our best to help her. I for one shall be pleased if Gus comes up with a good reason for her being so keen.”
Ivy’s disappearance had so worried Roy that he had completely forgotten their original reason for visiting the woods. “Oh my goodness, all that went completely out of my mind! Now Ivy, did you by any chance spot any clues as to what Miriam and Rose might have seen in the woods?”
“Let’s stop by the seat on the green,” Ivy suggested. “The sun’s so warm now it’s a shame to waste it.”
“And you can answer my question?” Roy said with a smile.
“Yes, I’ll answer your question,” she said, and when they were settled she told him about the man who had run away and then stopped to rescue her. “And then, when he was sure I was on the right path, he ran off again, giving me no time to thank him.”
“Did he give you his name?”
“Oh yes. The Green Man of the Woods, he said.”
“Ivy, are you making this up?” Roy began to wonder if she was having a reaction to her unpleasant experience. It was not like Ivy to play tricks.
“Of course not,” she snapped. “He looked vaguely familiar, but it was difficult to place him. He had this woolly hat pulled right down. But from what he said, he knew who I was and where I had come from.”
“What on earth was he doing in the woods, and why did he run away?”
Ivy paused. She began to feel very tired, but did her best to reply. “He wouldn’t answer any questions, Roy. And, to tell the truth, I was feeling too wobbly to ask. All I can tell you is that he was a gentleman. He behaved like a gentleman, and he spoke like one. He obviously did not want to be seen but came to my rescue when he saw I needed help. That’s my idea of a gentleman, and I know, dear one, that you would have done exactly the same.”
The sun had retreated behind clouds again, and they continued their walk back to Springfields. There they were greeted by a scolding from Mrs. Spurling for being out in the rain. Ivy said that they were not children, and would Mrs. Spurling remember who paid her wages. The least she could do was to have respect. Roy did his best to soften this outburst but saw that Ivy felt a lot better afterward.
MIRIAM WATCHED GUS pass by her window and guessed that he had stayed at Tawny Wings for lunch and most of the afternoon. She sighed. How could she compete with a rich widow, who had not only Gus but also the squire up at the Hall at her beck and call?
She pulled a tray of jam tarts—homemade jam and pastry made with butter—from the oven. They were done to perfection, and she put them to cool on the kitchen table. “The queen of hearts, she made some tarts,” she muttered to herself. “That’s me, Queen Miriam.” Ah well, they say the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach. She would call round and ask if he would like to pop in for supper. They could have the tarts for pudding. She had been much cheered by Roy and Ivy, as she now thought of them, agreeing to a cup of tea and being so complimentary about her sponge cake. Roy was such an old charmer, and even Ivy could be pleasant if she really tried! She was sure her cooking would work the same magic with Gus.
As she thought of the afternoon’s drama, it occurred to her to wonder what on earth Ivy had been doing in the woods, leaving Roy in the road by himself. Neither of them had wanted to talk about it, and all they had really discussed was the weather. Had their expedition had anything to do with that horrible hand? It was quite possible Ivy had decided to take a look herself. So Enquire Within was already on the case.
Miriam felt in her pocket to check on the earring. She should put it somewhere safe, in case it, too, disappeared. Perhaps she should have mentioned it to Ivy and Roy. After all, it was surely an important piece of evidence. Well, it had slipped her mind in the emergency to be dealt with. She would show it to Gus and ask his advice. A good reason for going next door.
Gus had just switched on the radio for the news when he saw Miriam approach. Oh no, he groaned, not more temptation. This afternoon had gone swimmingly with Deirdre, and he would have been quite happy with a sandwich and something good on the telly. But no, here she was, tapping at his kitchen window.
“Supper, Miriam? Thank you so much, but I had a huge lunch and I think I shall fast for the rest of the day.” He began to shut the door, but she put her foot against it. “Well, if you don’t want supper, perhaps you’d like to see what I picked up in the woods this afternoon,” she blurted out.
“Not another dead hand!” said Gus, and immediately regretted his lapse.
“No joke,” she said, backing out. “And I’m sure you can manage a coffee and jam tarts still warm from the oven.”
“Fine,” said Gus with a sigh. “Five minutes, then.”
Sixteen
MIRIAM RETURNED AROUND six o’clock bearing a tray, on which she had placed a plate of jam tarts and a pot of coffee. Gus saw with a sinking heart that there were also neatly cut sandwiches and two mugs, two plates.
“I was feeling a bit lonesome,” Miriam said, smiling tentatively at him. “Hope you don’t mind a bit of company for an hour or so?”
He thought of saying he minded very much indeed but was disarmed by her anxiously smiling face. “Of course not,” he said as kindly as he could manage. “We can’t have you feeling lonely. The Budds are out, I suppose?”
“I’ve got another reason to be here rather than there,” Miriam said. “As I said, I have something to show you. Here, look what I found in the woods, just where we saw the hand. Roy asked me to look for Ivy in the woods, and I happened to pass the place, so thought I’d have a quick search. It was under quite a pile of dead leaves, and I should have missed it but for the twinkly stone. Do you think it’s a diamond?”
“Could be,” said Gus slowly, looking closely at the earring.
Miriam noticed that his usual good colour had gone from his face, and he was now very pale. “Gus? Are you okay?”
He shook his head and handed the earring back to Miriam with a shaking hand.
“What is it? For heaven’s sake, Gus, tell me what’s the matter? Is it something I said?”
Gus shook his head and shivered. “No, my dear,” he said, with obvious effort. “It’s just that, well, I gave those earrings to Kath on the eve of our wedding. She wore them on the day and was always very fond of them.”
For once, Miriam was at a loss for words. “Oh my God,” she said finally. “Does it mean that the hand we saw belonged to… Oh no, Gus, don’t say that! I don’t know whether she was wearing them when she arrived, and I didn’t see her
at all the morning she vanished again. This could have been an earring belonging to another woman, surely?”
Gus nodded miserably. “I doubt it,” he said. “And most unlikely to be in the middle of the woods in darkest Suffolk.” He sighed deeply. “Oh dear, Miriam, I’m afraid my appetite’s completely gone.”
Miriam was having none of this and encouraged him with stories of jewellery that had turned up in the most unlikely places. He managed a couple of sandwiches and two jam tarts and then asked her if she had shown the earring to Roy and Ivy.
“No, I put it in my pocket and then temporarily forgot about it. My first thought was to look after the two dear old things, in case they were suffering from shock.”
“Well, do you want me to look after it, or will you keep it with you? We won’t do anything until we’ve told the others. We are having a planning meeting tomorrow at Tawny Wings, and I’m sure the others will want you to bring it along.”
“We should tell the police,” Miriam said reluctantly.
Gus shook his head. “It will keep another twenty-four hours,” he said. “But do look after it carefully.”
“I’d be happier if you had it. If that hand was Katherine’s, well…” She hesitated, and her lip quivered.
“But who on earth would know that you had found it? You didn’t tell Ivy or Roy, so there’s only me!”
Miriam stared at him. “You? But Gus, why would you not want to tell the police?” Then the full horror of the possibility struck her. Gus had loathed his ex-wife, and her sudden decision to visit could have completely unhinged him. She snatched the earring back from him, picked up her food tray, and left, muttering to herself as she went.
“Oh dear,” said Gus to Whippy, who was asleep in her basket. “Looks like I’m suspect number one for a crime that’s not necessarily been committed. What next, little dog?”
Whippy opened one eye, wagged her tail and went back to sleep.
NEXT MORNING, IVY was up with the lark, sorting out her clothes for the wash, opening her windows wide to let in the cool breeze, and if anyone had been listening, they would have been surprised to hear her humming a waltz tunelessly as she sorted out sensible knickers, a blouse with soup stains down the front, and a skirt that Tiddles had jumped on with muddy feet.
What am I doing in here? she asked herself, straightening up from putting on comfortable shoes. I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself. I should never have listened to Deirdre. But then, if I had stayed in Ringford, I would never have met Roy.
Dear Roy, he was such a comfort and made her feel wanted and worthwhile. She remembered now her last year in Victoria Villa, where she had sat all day in a rocking chair in the kitchen, old Tiddles on her lap, not bothering to change her underwear or have a bath. Her legs had become almost useless, and she had stopped cooking herself proper meals. The house had lost its pristine shine in spite of the efforts of New Brooms, the cleaning team, chiefly because she had forbidden them to tackle so many precious things that they had given up trying.
Now she heard the breakfast bell and started off downstairs with a light heart. It was summer, Roy would be waiting for her and there was a meeting this morning to discuss their new and possibly difficult case.
“Morning, Ivy dear.” Roy was looking his handsome best. He had a fresh shirt and his favourite tie, a cheerful stripe given to him by Ivy, neatly knotted. Never mind his stringy old neck and what was left of his white hair combed carefully over the bald patch! He had his Ivy and the new excitement of his love for her.
“Now,” he said, “shall we have porage or porridge?”
Ivy laughed. “Why don’t we have a change and have porage?” she asked.
“Good idea,” said Roy. “Allow me to help you to sugar.”
“No sugar, thanks. Just a pinch of salt, which is always a good thing to take when in doubt.”
Roy smiled sweetly at her. “I can see it is going to be a really good morning,” he said.
Seventeen
“MORNING, IVY,” DEIDRE said, walking into Springfields with a brisk step. “Why on earth have you called a meeting for this morning? We met as usual yesterday, and there can’t be much new to report.”
“All will be revealed,” Ivy said. She had thought long and hard after they returned yesterday afternoon, and after discussing the Green Man of the Woods with Roy, she decided to tell the others immediately. Roy had suggested a couple of phone calls, but she thought they should all be together to talk about such an important development. She would ring round and summon them. When she called Gus, he had sounded odd, reluctant even, but she put that down to jealousy of Theo Roussel and his success with Deirdre.
Deirdre’s cleaner was busy in Tawny Wings, and so Ivy had requisitioned Springfield’s small conference room for the meeting, where they had in the past played pontoon regularly, until a tragedy involving one of the players had caused them to lose heart. The room, as the three entered, smelled musty and unused. Deirdre crossed to the window and threw it wide open. “Phew! That’s better,” she said. “Have you ordered coffee from your little Polish friend, Ivy?”
“We must wait for Gus,” Roy said mildly. “It would be a shame to start without him.”
“Is he bringing Miriam? She’s obviously having a great time,” said Deirdre sourly. She was very fond of Gus, and although she had no intention of committing herself to him, she objected to anyone else claiming his attentions.
“Don’t know,” Ivy replied. “She can be quite difficult to shake off. I would rather she did not come this morning, but we shall see if Gus is persuaded to bring her along.”
In the event, it was more a case of Miriam dragging Gus out of his cottage and on the way to Springfields. “Of course I must come, too, Gus,” she said. “After all, I found the earring.”
He did not reply, and they walked in complete silence until they reached Springfields, when Gus emerged from dark thoughts and said, “You’re unusually quiet this morning, Miriam. Anything up?”
Miriam shook her head mutely, and they checked in with Miss Pinkney, the assistant manager on duty this morning. She, unlike her boss, was a fan of Enquire Within and particularly admired Ivy Beasley for the way she had reorganised aspects of Springfields to suit her requirements. She greeted them warmly and pointed them in the direction of the conference room.
“Ah, there you are, Gus. And Miriam, too?” Ivy’s tone was not welcoming.
“Naturally,” said Miriam firmly. “It’s my enquiry, isn’t it?”
“Of course, my dear,” said Roy the peacemaker. “But sometimes, you see, we need to discuss other cases on hand, and I’m sure you appreciate that these are confidential, as would your own be, if other clients were present.”
“Oh, for goodness’ sake, let’s get on with it,” said Deirdre. “I’ve got a hairdresser’s appointment at midday in Oakbridge.”
“I’ll open the meeting, then,” Ivy said. “Though Gus usually does it, he looks half-asleep. Shall I start, Gus?”
He nodded miserably, and Ivy began to recount what had happened when she was doing a spot of research in the woods.
“You? Did you go into those woods on your own, Ivy?” Deirdre asked. Although Ivy was extremely smart and capable of most things, Deirdre still felt responsible for her, since it was she who had persuaded Ivy to come to Springfields.
“Yes, of course. And Roy was close at hand. I saw this man, and when he saw me he began to run. I followed as quickly as I could until I caught my foot in a bramble and fell. Then he came back and helped me up. He was very pleasant but not at all forthcoming, and as soon as he’d made sure I could walk again, he disappeared through the trees.”
“Very succinct, my love,” said Roy. “Exactly right. But there was something else, wasn’t there? The badgers’ sett?”
“The what?” said Miriam.
“Sett, earth, holt,” said Ivy impatiently. “You know, the mounds in the woods with holes in them where badgers live.”
“No
need to be so patronising, Ivy,” said Miriam defensively.
“You’re a countrywoman, aren’t you?” replied Ivy. “Anyway, I was still not sure of the way back to Roy, and luckily he had alerted Miriam, and she quickly spotted me and helped me back to the road. Now, who was that man, and what was he doing? He had a spade, and there was a badger’s whatsit, like I said. It looked to me to be very fresh soil. Probably to do with badger baiting. He wouldn’t give me his name nor answer any questions about himself.”
There was a knock at the door, and Gus rose to open it. Katya came in, carrying a tray of coffee and biscuits. “Mrs. Spurling gave instructions for no biscuits,” she said with a grin. “But she is out, and Miss Pinkney is a kinder person and found these Jammie Dodgers for you.”
Gus laughed, in spite of himself and said that Katya’s English got better every day. The others thanked her kindly, and once the coffee was poured, Miriam said they should get back to business.
“I suppose we should,” Gus said, and added that Miriam also had a very important piece of information to pass on. “She, too, found an interesting place to investigate,” he said, looking at their client, who seemed to have become suddenly dumb.
“The badgers’ sett?” said Ivy, surprised that Miriam had not mentioned it yesterday. She must have been going round in circles looking for her.
“No, it was where me and Rose first saw the hand,” Miriam finally muttered.
“And?” said Gus. He was beginning to wonder what she was up to.
“And I found an earring,” said Miriam. “It was under some leaves, and I picked it up. Showed it to Gus.” She paused dramatically and looked at him. “He said it was his ex-wife’s, but I knew it wasn’t. It was mine, and it dropped out of my pocket while I was moving the mound of leaves to one side. I’ve only got the one and was hoping to have it copied sometime.”
Eighteen